&nbspReflection: Analyzing Character -Lesson 3 of Cinder Book One - Section 2: Warm Up

It is not necessary to use Pixar characters. I strongly suggest that you use whatever will appeal to and interest your students. I selected Pixar as I wanted a subject that I felt all students would both enjoy and understand. It is imperative that the subject you choose be one with which students are already familiar and comfortable as opposed to something intimidating. This excites them and earns interest.

An alternative suggestion would be characters from a particular movie that all students where exposed to through a particular class or school activities in the past few years.

Be aware that the mini-lesson that follows this warm-up is based around Pixar as well, but could easily be based on another subject -movie, TV show, etc. with which students are comfortable. Please see the strategy video within the mini-lesson segment to learn how to embed and use Youtube videos to create your own version of this Powerpoint.

Character Choice Reflection

Character Choice Reflection

Analyzing Character -Lesson 3 of Cinder Book One

Analyzing Character -Lesson 3 of Cinder Book One

Unit 2: Literary Reading - "Sooner or later, everything old is new again." Part 1
Lesson 10 of 12

Objective: SWBAT analyze how an author develops characters and describe those characters using appropriate vocabulary.

After allowing time for review of the agenda for the day, I display the attached image of Pixar characters and ask students to share the following with their table mates: Name and describe your favorite Pixar character. (If you do not have tables students can always turn to a neighbor to share.)

As most middle school students are very familiar with Pixar films, this leads to a burst of excitement and discussion. I love it when I get them excited about language arts! After two minutes of discussion, I pull the class back together. At this point, I always share my favorite and describe the character. Then, ask students to consider how the author created the characters they love. This leads into the lesson in the next segment.

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Resources

Class today revolves around a Powerpoint (linked here from my google docs) that leads the teacher and students through a mini-lesson on characterization and categorizing characters so that they may be described intelligently and with an awareness of the proper vocabulary.

To check for understanding after the slide reviewing flat and round characters students will complete an Edmodo quiz.

Question Prompt: 1Total Points: 1

Which of the following would be considered minor characters in Cinder?

Iko

Pearl

Chang Sacha

All of the above

Question Prompt: 2Total Points: 1

Cinder is an example of which of the following types of character?

Flat

Round

The guided practice falls in the last few slides of the Powerpoint.

If you prefer to use other video clips, view the video included here to review how to edit the video clips included.

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Resources

Students will now continue listen to the audio -picking up where we left in the last class - and follow in their books. As they do they will be very involved in the text, actively reading per the instructions on the Reading Circle sheets.After completing the guided practice students should be more aware of the characterization techniques used by the author and the descriptive categories each character fits into.

Students should now be adding descriptive detail including page numbers to reference to their character list reflecting an analysis of the characters.

I will allow the class to read until the last five minutes of class time and record their stopping point

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Resources

Wrap up time is spent allowing students to "debrief" independently - collecting their post its and/or completing their thoughts on their Reading Circle sheets. We always discuss questions or concerns before class is dismissed, so during the last few minutes of class, I would ask students to share some of the new ideas they have about the characters in Cinder at their table.